The invention relates to female garments and especially female dancewear having a built-in semi-attached bra to provide improved fit, support, comfort and appearance to the wearer. The garments have a variety of open back and/or low rear neckline designs and a variety of strap configurations as desired by dancers.
Conventional dancewear such as leotards and other types of bodywear are formed of stretch synthetic material that provides little or no support for the breasts of a female wearer. Thus, the wearer often wears a separate bra. While a separate bra provides adequate support, it often results in bunching of the outer garment during dance movement because the bra is not adjustable for proper fit. In addition, the straps or other portions of a separate bra are visible through the outer garment, especially during dance movement. This diminishes the appearance of the dancer and also provides discomfort to the wearer.
Clothing garments having built-in bras are known in the patented prior art as evidenced by the US patents to Monroe U.S. Pat. No. 2,863,460 and Reichert et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,805. In the known prior art, the bra is connected with the outer garment continuously around the edge of the bra. While these prior devices operate satisfactorily, they are not particularly suited for dancers because they restrict the movement of the dancer and diminish the look of the dancer while performing. Moreover, they do not lend themselves to have open back or low rear neckline designs or different strap configurations.
The present invention was developed in order to overcome these and other drawbacks of the prior art by providing a dancewear article having a built-in floating bra which functions like a traditional bra but without the drawbacks of a separate bra. More particularly, the invention incorporates an open back or low rear neckline and a variety of strap configurations. This facilitates an open back which is a feature highly desired by dancers.